The View From: Hartford; Symphony's Musicians and Managers Back in Tune

IN late October, after a 18-month-long dispute between the musicians union and the management of the Hartford Symphony, agreement was reached on a new three-year contract. A month later, the musicians took their places on stage at the Bushnell auditorium and when the conductor, Michael Lankester, came on stage the orchestra received a standing ovation.

"There was a sense of warmth, and maybe relief," said the chairman of the Symphony's board, Peter Burgess, who described the previous year as "horrific."

William Steinberg, the president of the musicians union, said, "We're very hopeful that things are going to smooth out." The contract has not yet been formalized but both the union and management expect it will be signed early next year.

Due to an aggressive subscription renewal campaign, the hall was three-quarters full for the new season's first two concerts, on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. According to the Symphony's manager, Paul Reuter, the orchestra earned 63 percent of its income from tickets and concert fees last year, compared with a national average of 43 percent for an organization of similar size. "We had 11,000 adult subscribers to three different concert series, Mr. Reuter said. "My job is to regain as many of those as possible."

Throughout the labor dispute, management stayed in touch with its subscribers and the community by sending its conductors to coach in 36 high schools and to talk to community groups. The musicians, meanwhile, continued their usual freelance work and collected unemployment. Dispute Cost Grants

Recovering its subscription base and ticket sales is only one of the Symphony's worries. To stay in business and serve the region, the Hartford Symphony must raise $3 million over the next three years. The orchestra has already lost $70,000 in grants from the state and from National Endowment for the Arts because there was no contract when the financing decisions were made.

And because of the dispute with the American Federation of Musicians Local 400, some of the Symphony's concert dates at the Bushnell had been sold to other performing groups. The orchestra is now looking for other opportunities to perform, to help regain some of the losses.

To raise the $3 million, a "Save Your Symphony" campaign is under way. "It's an umbrella term we're using for this three-year period," Mr. Reuter said. "We are making the point that this is a multi-year effort. We're asking everybody to increase their giving."

Corporations are being contacted to sponsor individual concerts as well. Already the Symphony has received grants from several local organizations, including a three-year commitment from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, totaling $450,000.

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The Hartford Symphony has resumed its symphony, family concerts, pops and classical conversations series, and Mr. Reuter is optimistic about the future. "We're very excited about the programming this year," he said, "but we are looking forward to next year, our 50th anniversary."

Founded in 1934, the orchestra temporarily disbanded during World War II and resumed operations in 1948. With the arrival of Fritz Mahler as music director in 1953, the Symphony expanded its concerts for children. In 1964, Arthur Winograd, a founding member of the Juilliard String Quartet, became music director and under him the Symphony performed at Carnegie Hall to favorable reviews. Almost 20 years later, Mr. Lankester succeeded Mr. Winograd and the core orchestra was formed. Today, Mr. Lankester and the Symphony have a $3 million budget and reach an audience of more than 200,000 a year. The 18-month dispute, which caused the cancellation of last year's music dates, revolved around a group of 21 musicians, called the "core players," who provide a full-time commitment to the orchestra, which in turn is permitted to sell the core musicians' services to other groups. Symphony, Opera and Ballet

Their responsibilities were not only to the Hartford Symphony, but to the Connecticut Opera and Hartford Ballet companies as well, with the three entities contributing toward salaries and benefits. However, the Opera negotiated a separate agreement, and the Ballet, for financial reasons, has been forced to use taped music for all its performances, leaving the Symphony as the organization the core players look to for their primary employment.

The musicians had been locked out, according to Mr. Steinberg, when the Symphony management said it could not meet the terms of the previous contract, which expired in June 1991. "Our position was that we would continue to perform under the terms and conditions of that expired contract," he said. "They locked us out when they refused to allow us to perform. They claimed that they didn't have the money to do that. That's debatable."

The new agreement reduces the number of services -- rehearsal and concert commitments of the core players -- resulting in their gaining an average salary increase of 2 percent. All other musicians will receive a 7 1/2 percent wage increase this year. After that, there will be a minimum 3 1/2 percent cost of living adjustment each year. More Musician Representation

An unconventional provision of the agreement was the offering of 10 directors' seats to musician representatives; in the past there was only one. The executive committee, a group of 12 to 15 members, will be one-third musician representatives.

"It's up to everybody to make it work," said Michael Pollard, a spokesmen for the musicians and a violinist with the Symphony since 1975. "It's up to the board, management and musicians -- and a responsibility on the part of the community to support this institution."

An example of the musicians' increased involvement was the Symphony's recent phone-a-thon, usually staffed by volunteers. Instead, 10 musicians did the dialing. "There's an understanding of their role as a key to the organization's succeeding," Mr. Reuter said. "Building trust and relationships are fine, but at some point it comes down to money. If we can pay our musicians and find enough work for them, they'll be happy. These are professional people, highly talented and struggling to make a living. It is a struggle to be a musician in society today. Our job is to work together with them. And we won't stop until we get the job done."

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A version of this article appears in print on December 27, 1992, on Page CN13 of the National edition with the headline: The View From: Hartford; Symphony's Musicians and Managers Back in Tune. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe